Mayor wants Hamilton to have better looking construction hoarding
'It makes us look like a discount town,' says the mayor of ugly construction hoarding
Samantha Craggs · CBC News · Posted: Sep 28, 2019
Hamilton's mayor says he wants new rules that force developers to make their construction hoarding a little more appealing.
Fred Eisenberger will bring a motion to city council's planning committee Tuesday. He wants city staff to look at ways to encourage developers to "incorporate art or other means beautifying construction hoarding," especially when the hoarding is close to residents and businesses. He also wants to look at charging fees to companies that put their own branding or advertising on their hoarding.
Hamilton's downtown is blanketed in hoarding, particularly on its main thoroughfares. It takes up such a swath of landscape, Eisenberger said, that it should look a little better. Right now, much of it is "raw plywood" and magnets for graffiti.
"It makes us look like a discount town, and it's unnecessary," he said. "I think we can do better."
There are plenty of examples. In New York City, for example, the Dior store once made its construction hoarding look like a giant handbag. Louis Vuitton's flagship store in Paris did something similar.
In European cities, Eisenberger said, the hoarding often depicts an artist rendering of the finished product.
Hoarding is regulated by the provincial Ministry of Labour. The city's regulatory authority, he said, is limited to general property standards.
If his motion passes, and city council ratifies it on Oct. 9, then staff will investigate and report back.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hoarding-1.5300413